Finding traces of normalcy in the midst of a baseball season being played during a health pandemic has to be challenging.
Almost every habit has been disrupted — sound familiar? — and even things like home run celebrations require conscious thought instead of just instincts.
But entrance music — whether during an at bat for a hitter or just before taking the mound for a pitcher — is one of those small slices of routine that can be salvaged. And Twins players have done so, with the full list of known entrance music released Tuesday by team PR specialist Dustin Morse.
Sure, there's this thought: If entrance music is played in a ballpark without fans, does it really make a sound?
But as much as the songs are part of the fan experience — and fan routine: can you even think about a Joe Mauer at bat without thinking of the first 10-15 seconds of "What You Know" by T.I.? — they are even more about getting players in the right frame of mind to compete.
As such, here is a very subjective compilation of 10 very good songs chosen by Twins players for their entrance music this season. Let's do this in reverse chronological order to build suspense!
10. Sergio Romo. "El Mechon" by Banda Sinaloense. I didn't know anything about this song before I looked it up. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd throw it into a playlist. But it sounds exactly like Romo pitches. In Romo we trust.
9. Randy Dobnak. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. Some songs pump you up. This one, I imagine, probably calms people down. But maybe that's what Dobnak needs before he takes the mound against big league hitters. If this was a list of karaoke-able songs, by the way, Dobnak's choice would be in the top three.